Dallas Cowboys Blog

During the Cowboys’ furious shopping spree in the first week of free agency, they acquired players who are expected to fortify their secondary, offensive line and the backbone of their defense.

But the team didn’t add a veteran newcomer who could attack the quarterback from the edge even though team owner Jerry Jones said at the NFL combine that “for the defense, I’m into pressure.”

In recent months, Jones has reiterated his desire to have a player with a similar skill-set as DeMarcus Ware that could complement the Pro Bowl outside linebacker who has collected 99.5 sacks since he entered the league in 2005.

“Real impressive pressure from someone other than Ware would be a dramatic influence on this defense,” Jones said Friday. “It would actually impact how we play the defense. So, we’re always looking for a pass rusher.”

While the Cowboys applied the franchise tag to Anthony Spencer, that maneuver only guarantees that he will remain in Dallas for one more season. As a result, some have speculated that the Cowboys will attempt to draft a player who can create havoc from the edges. Alabama’s Courney Upshaw and North Carolina’s Quinton Coples are among the coveted prospects the Cowboys could select.

“I wouldn’t want to get into it,” Jones said Friday, when asked about the players the team is eying. “But certainly there are some people that can help teams in the NFL as an outside linebacker-type pass rusher. Yes, there are those.”

And for that reason, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Cowboys grabbed one in the first round of the draft next month.